Expectoration-pouch.



No. 743,826. PATENTED Nov. 10; 1903..

E. L.. GALAHAN.

EXPEGTORATION POUCH. AlPLIOATION FILED FEB. 27. 1903.

H0 MODEL.

Wibvmaaea UNITED STATES Patented November 10, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

EXPECTORATlON-POUCH.

IGA'lIQN forming part of Letters Patent'No. 743,826, dated N oveinber10, 1903.

Application filed February 27, 1903. Serial N01 145,411. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. OALAHAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clifton, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inExpectoration-Pouches of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide 5.

cuspidor for the use of consumptives and others who have occasion toexpeotorate frequently which while being entirely sanitary is small,light, and not easily broken, in order that it may be easily handled,and so inexpensive that after being used for a short time it may, withits contents, be burned or otherwise destroyed.

In many hospitals the use of ordinary cuspidors is prohibited, andvarious devices have been substituted; but none prior to my invention,so far as I am'aware, have completely and satisfactorily combinedcheapness of construction with simplicity of use and perfect sanitation.1

In carrying outmy invention I construct from paper or similar material,which should be sufficiently waterproof, a pouch which is adapted tocontain a roll or wad of absorbent cotton or similar material, andhaving at the top a flap which may be opened and closed at will. When inuse, the flap is lifted to expose the interior of the pouch, and theexpectoration is received upon the cotton within it. hen not in use, thepouch may be closed by the flap, and when the pouch is full or after adefinite length of time-say twenty-four hours-the pouch may be closedand, with its contents, burned or otherwise destroyed.

Preferably I construct the pouch of stout rope Manila paper, which issufliciently wa-' terproof, a blank being formed of the proper shape,and this is creased, bent, and folded, so that a receptacle closed onall-sides except at the top is provided, the meeting ends of the foldedportions being held together by means of a clip, which also serves toreceive the edge of the flap when the latter .is-folded down to closethe receptacle.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aperspectiveview of anexpectoration-pouch constructed in accordance with my invention, theflap being lifted to expose the interior.

' Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof with the flap closed and locked. rFig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the pouch is constructed.1 Fig. 4 is a view of the blank after it has been given the first fold.Fig. 5 indicates the appearance of the blank after the lower corners ofthe side wings have been folded. Fi g. 6 indicates the next step inwhich the wings are folded over and made to overlap. 7 illustrates apaper-clip whichmay be employed to secure the side wings to each otherand to the flap projecting from the top of the front body portion of theblank.

The outline of the blank is shown by full lines in Fig. 3. It consistsof a central body portion made up of two square or rectangular parts AA, side wings B B,- a top iiap C, and bottom flap D. The blank iscreased on the line a a, which extends horizontally across the blankmidway between its upper and lower ends, divides the parts A and A fromeach other, and divides each wing B B into two q lpar b. bi... The .bl sal creased along the lines 6 0' between the Wings and the body portionsA A and also along the lines o o and c o between the parts A A and thetop and bottom flaps C. and D. Greases are also formed along the linesat d, in the Wings on diagonal lines extending from the intersectionofthe lines a, o. and c o outwardly toward the top and bottom ends of thewings and reaching to the outer side edges thereof. The lower flap D isof a general triangular shape, its inner edge being of the same width asthe part A, and the upper flap (3, while not pointed or triangular, likethe flap D, is of the same Width at its inner edge as the part A. Thetwo flaps are of substantially the same length, the lower flap D being,as shown, a

trifle longer, each being in length about half the length of the part Aor A. The exact dimensions specified are, however, not absolutelyessential. I have described the precise form shown in the drawings.

XVhile I have stated that, the blank is creased, it is obvious that itmay be bent in the first instance without being creased, the bendingbeing upon the lines indicated in the drawings and described as creases.The blank shown in Fig. 3 is first bent on the line a a, the parts thenassuming the position shown in Fig. 4. After this the lower corners ofthe wings are bent along the diagonal lines d d in the manner indicatedin Fig. 5, and then the Wings are folded along the lines 0 0, thusproducing a pouch closed on all sides except at the top, as indicated inFig. 6; but this last operation leaves the bottom flap D projectingupwardly. This is turned down to the position shown in Fig. 1, and thena clip E, preferably of the kind shown in Fig. 7, is applied at theangle formed between the wings where they overlap, and the lower end orflap D is made to engage the tongue 8 of the clip. While I prefer to usethe kind of clip shown in Fig. 7, there are other well-known forms ofclips which may be used. In this way a closed receptacle or pouch ismade without the use of paste or other adhesive, the parts being heldtogether without danger of accidental separation. As thus formed thepouch has a single thickness of material at the back to which the topflap is connected and a front portion consisting of a single thicknessof material A, overlapped by the side wings and the bottom flap D of theblank, which are secured by the clip in the manner before stated.Absorbent cotton or similar material is placed in the pouch, beingforced down to the bottom thereof. After each use the top flap C may beturned down and made to engage the clip in the manner indicated in Fig.2, and when the pouch is full or after a definite length of timesaytwenty-four hours-the pouch in its sealed condition (indicated in Fig.2) with its contents may be burned or otherwise destroyed.

It is obvious that a pouch of the kind hereinbefore described can bevery cheaply made. A single piece of paper and a single inexpensive clipare the only separate parts which it is necessary to use. Eachpouch maybe very quickly formed by bending the blank on the lines indicated, anda clip may be very easily and quickly applied to fasten the folded partstogether. It is also obvious that the pouch may be opened and closedquickly and easily and that there is no danger of leakage, because thepaper used is sufficiently waterproof, as before stated, and the partsof the blank overlap each other to such an extent that the contents ofthe pouch cannot possibly find its way out between the overlappinglayers.

The size and shape of the pouch may be varied; but it is preferablymaderectangular, about three inches square, and may, if desired, besafely carried in the pocket.

I claim as my invention I An expectoration-pouch made from a singlepiece of paper or similar material, consisting of a body having frontand rear portions folded upon themselves, side wings projecting fromboth portions of the body folded upon themselves, turned at their lowercorners and overlapped upon the body, one of said body portions havingan end flap folded down over upon the folded wings and detachablysecured to said wings by a single clip, and the other body portionhaving an end flap for closing the pouch which is adapted to be securedto said wings and the other end flap by said clip.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

EDXVARD L. CALAHAN.

